LUCKNOW, JULY 21: IN a significant development, Bahujan Samaj Party vice-president
Mayawati today expelled three veteran MLAs - Barkhu Ramm Verma, R.K.Chaudhary and Krishna Pal
Singh - from the party for deviating from the party stand on the issue of reservation
within reservation for Backwards and Dalits.
With this move, Mayawati has purged known loyalists of the party president, Kanshi Ram.
There are other Kanshi Ram loyalists on her ''hit list'', a party leader said on the
condition of anonymity.

Announcing her decision at a press conference, Mayawati declared that ''others who dare
to differ from the party stand will meet the same fate.'' How can any MLA suggest to her
to follow the Samajwadi Party tack and oppose reservation within reservation, she asked,
adding that this should serve as lesson to other party leaders.

Denying the expelled leaders had mass support, she said their expulsion would not affect
the party's poll prospects at all. ''Once out of the party their political career would
be ruined. How can a leader like Barkhu Ram Verma who won by just 198 votes in the last
Assembly elections be called a popular leader,'' she asked.

Asked to comment, Barkhu Ram Verma and R.K.Choudhary, who were at Mayawati's residence
when she announced their expulsion, said, ''No comments.'' Stating that the BSP was not a
party but a mission, Mayawati said that it had been floated to continue the work of
leaders like Baba Saheb Ambedkar for the uplift of the downtrodden.

She said that her party has always been in favour of reservation for the Most Backward
Castes and the Most Dalits and efforts in this direction were made when her party was in
power in 1995 and 1997.

Source:http://www.indian-express.com/ie20010722/nat4.shtml
Referred by:Mukundan CM
Published on: July 22, 2001
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